Former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and wife Grace have been whisked out to Singapore for “emergency medical treatment” over their various ailments.

The couple frequently flew to the south-east for their medical visits during Bob’s 37-year reign of the country. “Gucci Grace” has suffered from complications following the removal of her appendix in 2015. Whereas Robert, aged 94, has long been rumoured to be battling prostate cancer.

Who pays for Robert Mugabe and his Singapore trips?
But there’s a bone of contention that’s been raised with this visit: New Zimbabwe have stated that they are flying out there on the taxpayers’ tab.

Zimbabwe’s health system is currently feeling the strain, as a cholera outbreak across the country has got cash-strapped hospitals running themselves ragged.

So the decision by the state to foot the Mugabe’s medical bills just doesn’t add up, and that’s for a number of reasons. Forget the use of public money, why can’t two millionaires sort their own flights out?

Emmerson Mnangagwa: Mercy or madness?
Or perhaps a better question would be about President Mnangagwa’s leniency. It’s not even been a year since the Mugabe regime attempted to poison Mnangagwa and have him killed when it became clear he was angling for the presidency himself.

Two extreme, fierce political rivals appear to have been united by one thing: Raiding the state coffers. Granted, former presidents do receive the five-star treatment long after they’ve left office, but this has left a sour taste in the mouths of many Zimbabweans.

Referring to the bitter final days of Mugabe rule in the country, the UK-based Zimbabwe Vigil summed this whole dubious situation up with biting satire:

“Not many presidents would be so kind. Especially if she [Grace Mugabe] had tried to poison you and you had been forced to flee your country hotly pursued by a hit squad with orders to kill you.”-SABC